Tag: Tally Ho

Highflyer Soar As Power’s New Bay Colt Tops Tattersalls Ireland

RATOATH, Ireland–Well, Highflyer certainly soared at Fairyhouse this week with Anthony Bromley signing for 16 yearlings, including two for €100,000 on Wednesday.

However, it was Alex Elliott who was responsible for the top lot (243) at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale, a €115,000 Tradewinds-drafted New Bay (GB) colt that was purchased on the same afternoon.

No buyer had a busier two days than Bromley, though. Much like a man rushing to get his Christmas shopping done, he admitted to setting his stall out to fill the lion's share of his orders at another yearling sale where more impressive figures were recorded.

Of the 458 yearlings offered, 448 were sold, representing a clearance rate of 90%. While the aggregate was down 2% on 2021 figures to €12,421,000 and the average also fell 5% to €30,075, the median jumped 11% to €26,000.

For a list of reasons far too complex to enumerate, this year's yearling market has proved incredibly strong despite the global economy supposedly heading down the swanny and, after spending almost €600,000 across the two-day session, Bromley shared a belief that things were about to get even harder for buyers.

He said, “The market is remarkable and it's hard to work it out. Everyone who comes through the gates at a sale must just switch off their telly and forget everything else that's going on in the world. I thought this sale was really healthy and strong but not crazy. I felt that this was the sale to buy at because it's a domestic market. If you look around, it's mostly just English and Irish, whereas next week at the Orby Sale, there will be a surge of Americans and Newmarket will be the same.”

Bromley added, “When you think the sales are too strong, you hear of people saying that they are going to wait until the later sales but, in practice, that is probably the wrong thing to do. It's better to get some tickets for the lottery now. I still have orders for Goffs and for Tattersalls but it's better to get some tickets early sometimes. If anything, it looks like the market is going to get stronger, so I am happy to have got some business done early.”

Bromley spent a total of €581,000 at an average of €36,312 and it was a filly by Tally-Ho's Inns Of Court (Ire) [lot 279] and a colt by Sioux Nation [lot 390] that forced him into the six-figure mark on both occasions.

Speaking after securing Gibbonstown Stud's Sioux Nation colt, Bromley said, “He has been bought for Andrew and Jane Megson, the owners of Polly Pot (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}), the winner of the G2 May Hill S.

“The Megsons also owned Severance (GB) (Nathaniel {GB}), the half-brother, and this guy is a big scopey horse by a red-hot stallion. He will be trained by Ben Pauling.

“He's a beast of a horse and he won't be rushed. Ben's Flat string is starting to grow and Harry [Dunlop] has entered Polly Pott in the [G1] Irish 1000 Guineas today so the Classic dream is alive. “Polly Pott will have one more run this season and they have agreed to supplement for the [G1] Fillies' Mile at Newmarket.”

The €100,000 Highflyer paid for Tally-Ho's Inns Of Court filly meant that the Westmeath stud's young stallion was responsible for two of the top three lots of the sale after Ed Sackville paid €110,000 for Mountain View Stud's colt on behalf of John and Jess Dance on Tuesday.

Bromley revealed that lot 279 was purchased on behalf of Simon Munir and Isaac Suede, who purchased four yearlings all told at Fairyhouse. Three of the four will be trained by Joseph O'Brien, including the Inns Of Court filly, while lot 85, a €21,000 Cotai Glory colt, will join Richard O'Brien.

“The Inns Of Court was for Simon Munir and Isaac Souede,” Bromley said. “We've got a good 2-year-old with William Haggas called Alpha Capture (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) and he was beaten two inches in the £300,000 sales race at Doncaster. They have a small Flat string but they have a little bit of quality in there and they were looking to expand that. We've been buying for them at the previous yearling sales and I bought three for them on Tuesday as well. Three of the yearlings we've bought will go to Joseph O'Brien and one will go to Richard O'Brien. Joseph will train the Inns Of Court.”

On the burgeoning relationship with Richard O'Brien, he added, “We bought Impulsive Dancer (Ire) (Dragon Pulse {Ire}) off Richard and then we sent him Surac (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) after that and he managed to win with him over hurdles. We thought we'd give him a yearling and bought him a colt by Cotai Glory (GB).”

Tally-Ho's Roger O'Callaghan told TDN Europe that the best was yet to come from Inns Of Court after the stallion posted some impressive results at the Premier Yearling Sale last month and how right he was. Bromley was suitably impressed by the stock.

He said, “I have been very taken by all of the ones I have seen by him. They do look athletic. A lot of the Inns Of Courts stayed on my list for a second look which is a good sign. There were some nice ones at the Somerville and I really liked the one that made €110,000 on Tuesday. I actually bid €100,000 for him. I thought this filly was a queen and, while she was a bit more expensive than I thought she'd be, if you like them, you have to go for them.”

Bromley added, “We got two big ones today and we got 12 on Tuesday. I've had one of my best years on the Flat. I've had 25 2-year-old winners, which is unheard of for me, because it's not a big part of my business. A lot of those horses cost less than 30 grand, so we've had a good run. Polly Pott was 21,000gns, Streets Of Gold (Ire) was £27,000 and Bradsell (GB) was just £12,000 so it's been a good year. Let's hope it can keep going.”

A record 70 horses sold for €50,000 or more at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale and Simon Kerins lauded it as a success.

He said, “This week saw the September Yearling Sale take place in Ireland for the first time in two years and the trade has been incredibly strong. Most noteworthy was the record number of horses selling for €50,000 or more and turnover that surpassed all previous sessions held in Ireland.

“We had a catalogue of quality yearlings catering for all sectors of the market and the footfall seen across the last few days has been phenomenal. We focused extra attention on welcoming buyers back to Fairyhouse and we were rewarded with the buzz that was felt around the barns and newly improved sales complex. Purchasers descended in their droves from the UK as well as a strong contingent of overseas buyers who all went to battle with a strong Irish buying bench.”

He added, “We would like to thank the vendors who supported us and purchasers, all of whom have contributed to the success of the past two days. Our thanks also go out to Irish Thoroughbred Marketing who have been exceptional to work with on the lead up to the sale and enticing customers with their excellent IRE Incentive Scheme. The sale has displayed remarkable resilience the last two years and we look forward to moving ahead with it now and continuing to build on it year on year.”

Tradewinds Come Up Trumps With New Bay Colt

Shane Power's love affair with Tattersalls Ireland continued as three of his Tradewinds pinhooks made eye-wateringly good profits, including the New Bay colt that topped the entire sale at €115,000 to Alex Elliott on behalf of Australian-based Spicer Thoroughbreds.

He may be just 29 years of age, but Power had already built up an impressive reputation for being a top-notch purveyor of equine talent, further evidenced by the prowess advertised in transforming his €24,000 foal purchase into a sales-topper.

As if that wasn't impressive enough, Power also secured tidy profits with a Due Diligence filly (lot 152) sold to Joe Foley on Tuesday followed by a Sioux Nation colt (lot 354) that was snapped up by Mick Donohoe of BBA Ireland on Wednesday.

He said, “This place has always been very lucky for us. It's funny, we'd no luck at this sale when it was in England the past two years, but every time we bring horses to Fairyhouse, we tend to do alright. We've had good success at the breeze-up sales here as well. It's been a lucky place.

“We brought six here this week. The Sioux Nation colt was €7,000 into €50,000, the Due Diligence filly was €6,000 into €78,000 and the New Bay colt was €24,000 into €115,000, so it's been great.

“I actually bought an El Kabeir filly today to go breezing as well. We sold Bright Diamond (Ire) (El Kabeir) here in May for €52,000 and she's going for the G1 Fillies' Mile. Hopefully this El Kabeir can be as good.”

Power added, “We set up Tradewinds five years ago. It has taken a bit of time for us to build up relationships with the buyers but, when Bright Diamond won her maiden at Newmarket by nine lengths, it gave us a bit of credibility. Hopefully people will think that we half know what we're looking at now.”

Knowing what you are looking at is one thing, but backing your judgment to go out and buy these foals and then produce them in tip-top shape as yearlings is another. So, what's the secret?

“It's a lot of hard work and some long days,” Power explained. “We don't just turn up with these horses. If your horses don't come here looking well, the likelihood is that you'll be coming home with them. We feed them four times a day and there's a lot of pulling and dragging involved but it's worth it on days like today.”

He added, “It's great coming here and getting a few quid but, when you sell a horse and it goes on to do something, that's the real buzz. We sold Lauded (GB), a colt by Acclamation (GB), in our first year to Ed Sackville. He won his maiden first time out, was placed in the G2 Richmond S. and won a load of races in Dubai as well. He kick-started the whole thing for us.”

People have long since cottoned on to the fact that Power knows what he is doing. An even bigger secret that has gotten out of the bag, much to the frustration of Elliott, is that New Bay is one of the hottest sires around.

The leading agent said, “The sire has been unbelievable for me. He has been picked up for Brad Spicer. I met him at a sale in Germany a few years ago and, when Covid hit, he couldn't get over so he asked me if I would do some work for him. That was in 2020 and we bought him two Almanzors (Fr), a Camelot (GB) and a Sea The Moon (Ger)–that type of horse.”

Elliott added, “I sent him two horses from this sale and he really liked the look of the New Bay. There's going to be a day coming soon when I can't afford these New Bays so I'm trying to buy as many of them as I can now. They come in all shapes and sizes but they all look like they'd run through a brick wall.”

 

 

Ballyshannon Bag Emotional Success

One of the most emotional results of the week was achieved by James Hughes of Ballyshannon Stud who, along with the help of his late mother, was responsible for the most expensive Havana Grey (GB) to go through the ring in Ireland when Peter and Ross Doyle paid €70,000 for his colt by the leading first-season sire.

Hughes picked up the grey at Newmarket last December for just 14,000gns from Whitsbury Manor Stud and admitted that Wednesday's result was tinged in sadness over the loss of his mother back in February.

He explained, “My late mother, who unfortunately passed away from Covid in February, gave me the thumbs up when I sent her the video of this horse last December. She told me to go ahead and buy him off the video. We set up Ballyshannon together. It's just a pity she wasn't here today to see it.”

Hughes added, “I loved the yearlings by Havana Grey. I thought that they were all fast and early 2-year-olds. We had done a bit of business with Ed Harper at Whitsbury before and found him to be very easy to deal with. He's straight up and there's no bullshit with him. We try to go back to the same farms every year and like doing business with Ed.”

The significance extended beyond the fact that lot 248 became the most expensive son of Havana Grey to be sold in Ireland, but the result was badly needed after Ballyshannon were forced to buy back lot 29 at €33,000, a colt by Havana Gold (Ire), the previous day.

Hughes said, “We were delighted because we've put in a lot of effort and turned the farm around from being a foaling unit into what it is now. We used to look after 80 to 100 mares and last year we just decided that we needed to take a break and that it was getting too much for us.

“My mother was getting on a bit in age and said she'd like to enjoy the racing a bit more and the pinhooking side of things as well because she loved coming up to the sales.”

He added, “We had a little syndicate on the farm between the three of us and bought four foals. The first one didn't go well, we had to vendor him, and we were coming here thinking, 'have we done the right thing here?' Thankfully it has worked out.”

 

Lupini Reinvests After Another Big Sale

No sooner had Natalia Lupini wrapped up a deal for Listed Ingabelle S. third Highly Desirable (Ire) (Twilight Son {GB}) to continue her career in America, the County Down-based Italian was busy replenishing her stock alongside boyfriend Craig Bryson, with the pair signing for three yearlings across the two days.

Lupini told TDN Europe in the build-up to Irish Champions Weekend that she felt Highly Desirable would out-run her odds of 125-1 in that listed contest and, after doing just that, the filly caught the attention of a number of the big outfits.

Similarly to Arinniti (Fr) (Karakontie {Jpn}), who Lupini sold to Team Valor and Paddy Twomey after the filly posted a creditable second on debut at Naas, Highly Desirable netted connections a huge profit.

Those profits were reinvested on Tuesday and Wednesday with Lupini keen to keep the wheel turning after securing a colt by Twilight Son and fillies by Wootton Bassett and Masar. An owner at the sales also decided to entrust her with a filly by Galileo Gold to train.

She said, “Highly Desirable finishing third in a listed race on Irish Champions Weekend was our biggest result. She has now been sold to continue her career in America and an Irish agent got the deal done. It was a great weekend for us and, to see Arinniti go and win for Paddy Twomey last weekend was good to see as well. I think Paddy is talking about entering her in a listed race at Dundalk next week so we hope she can go on and do well for them.”

Lupini added, “We put our heads together last year and decided to train a few 2-year-olds and it's gone well so we have got a few more yearlings this week. It's also good that people have decided to send us 2-year-olds off the back of that, which happened today, when an owner approached us asking if we'd train a Galileo Gold (GB) filly.”

 

 

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Inns Of Court Colt Lights Up Tattersalls Ireland

RATOATH, Ireland–John and Jess Dance continued their recruitment drive on day one of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale, signing for three colts, including the €110,000 session-topper by Tally-Ho Stud's first-season sire Inns Of Court (Ire).

Having struck for colts by Mehmas (Ire) and Invincible Army (Ire)–lots 33 and 34–early in the afternoon, the husband-and-wife team added the Mountain View Stud-drafted colt (lot 187) to their team, signed for by Ed Sackville on behalf of Manor House Farm.

Sackville said, “He is a lovely stamp of a horse and a really big, strong and imposing type. I have never seen so many people bid on one horse.

“Inns Of Court is an unproven stallion, but he is by a proven sire of sires in Invincible Spirit (Ire). If he is anything like Tally-Ho Stud's recent first-season sires then he is going to have a very good chance of being successful. I would hope we are safe hands.”

The day's top lot is out of Silk Fan (Unfuwain), a three-time winning and twice listed-placed filly who reached a rating of 95 in her pomp and has become a proven producer of talent as a broodmare.

He was bred by the Silk Fan Syndicate, who have almost exclusively sent the mare to Tally-Ho stallions in recent years, with a filly foal by Inns Of Court on the ground and the mare reported to be in foal to Starman (GB).

Silk Fan is the dam of seven winners, including the Group 3-placed Haikbidiac (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), and is a half-sister to the G2 Flying Childers S. winner Gutaifan (Ire).

 


John and Jess Dance paid €80,000 for the Mehmas colt from Grove Stud and €65,000 for Yeomanstown Stud's Invincible Army colt, bringing their total spend on day one to €255,000.

Manor House Farm spent more on average at €85,000 than anyone else did at Fairyhouse on Tuesday but Joe Foley came out top on overall spend at €278,000 for four lots on a day where the strong demand that was seen for yearlings at Arqana, Goffs UK and Tattersalls continued.

Not only did Inns Of Court supply the top lot on the day, but he also ended proceedings on day one as the leading stallion on overall figures, with the seven lots consigned by him netting an average of €37,857. The total spend on the seven lots was €265,000, just €10,000 more than the six yearlings by Sioux Nation made in total at a higher average of €42,500.

Another first-season sire, Invincible Army, came out well on the figures with five yearlings recording an average of €50,600 and a hugely respectable total of €253,000.

Of the 230 yearlings offered on day one, just 28 were led out unsold, representing a clearance rate of 88%. Total spend was down 5% on last year from €6,807,434 to €6,436,000 but the median was up 15% to €27,000 and the average was also up 5% to €31,861.

 

 

Tallon Strikes Gold

Relief was the overriding emotion experienced by Michael Tallon after lot 57, a colt by Havana Gold (Ire), fetched €95,000 less than a year after the consignor picked the beautiful chestnut up for just 19,000gns at the Tattersalls December Sale at Newmarket.

“It's pure relief. That is probably the best way to put it as we were a little bit apprehensive before the sale,” Tallon said.

“So many things can go wrong from the time you buy them as foals to when you get them to the yearling sales. When you get them here, you can only hope the buyers turn up.”

And that they did. Joseph O'Brien, Ross Doyle and Kevin Ross all fought hard for the Havana Gold colt. But it was Ross who wanted him most at €95,000.

“I'll tell you what gave us great confidence, Tallon said, “was the number of vets he had. We knew there were a lot of people interested in him and I didn't hear one bad comment about the horse from anyone inspecting him. Everybody was very complimentary of him.”

Streets Of Gold (Ire) has done his bit to highlight the prowess of Havana Gold as a sire in recent times by extending his winning sequence to four in the valuable Tattersalls-sponsored sales race at the Curragh on Irish Champions Weekend.

El Caballo (GB) has also flown the flag for the Group 1-winning stallion this season and Tallon has long felt that his colt can do his bit for the Tweenhills resident when he hits the track.

“As soon as I saw this fella at Newmarket, I liked him. He was stabled down in Solario and, when I spotted him on the Friday, I thought he was a racehorse. Saturday was a dirty afternoon and everybody must have been in the bar. I can remember standing in the rain and watching him–the stride on him was tremendous. He had a great walk and, while he had a good page, it wasn't exceptional, but he had a great presence about him.”

Tallon added, “Percentage-wise, this is up there with one of my best results in racing, to turn 19,000gns into €95,000. One good result can pay for the rest of them. We're delighted and the best could yet be to come because we have a lovely Havana Grey colt (GB) [lot 265] to sell tomorrow.”

 

 

Footstepsinthesand Yearling Walks The Walk

Much of the pre-sale chat revolved around lot 176, the Footstepsinthesand (GB) half-brother to recent G1 Flying Five S. runner-up Erosandpsyche (Ire) (Sepoy {Aus}), consigned by the talented sprinter's owners, Mark Dreeling and Barbara Fonzo of Coole House Farm.

It was John and Sheila Lavery (brother and sister) who struck the winning bid at €100,000, with the trainer revealing that she thinks the price tag represented value.

Lavery said, “This horse was the standout for us–he has a lovely attitude, he was up here watching everything with his ears, looking around but going forward the whole time. He is a very straightforward horse. He is for John and I will train for him. We will know this time next year if he is value or not but I think we got value.”

Lavery added, “He is a big horse, but he looks forward enough, but until you put the saddle on their backs and start to canter them you don't know whether they will be early sorts or not.”

Fonzo told the TDN on Tuesday about how Coole House Farm came to acquire the Group 3-placed Sciolina (Ire) (Oratorio), the dam of Erosandpsyche and listed winner Some Respect (Ire). Dreeling couldn't hide his delight over the hammer falling Lavery's way at €100,000 and labelled the trainer as one of the best in the business.

   “The horse is going to a brilliant trainer-Sheila Lavery is a top-class trainer,” he said. “She loves him, she came to see him four or five times. The Danehill and Footstepsinthesand cross is a very successful and proven cross which is why we decided on the stallion for the mare–and we are also huge fans of Footsteps, we have been so lucky with him. This will help pay the bills and keeps the operation going.”

 

  

Life-Changing Result For Joy

A quick glance at Laura Joy's Twitter bio and you will see the words, 'aspiring pinhooker.' Well, Joy needn't use the word aspiring anymore after transforming her Tasleet (GB) colt (lot 125) from a 2,000gns foal into a €43,000 yearling.

It was the type of result that even the shrewdest of pedigree buffs would have been proud of and, for Joy, she described the sale as 'life-changing.' Not least because the Tipperary-based Business and Law graduate recently bought a house near Fethard.

There is also the small matter of a car loan that needed paying off, but such financial concerns were confined to the rear-view mirror as soon as that hammer fell the way of Highflyer Bloodstock for the Boherguy Stud-drafted yearling.

Joy said, “It's genuinely a life-changing amount of money. He was bought by Anthony Bromley of Highflyer, who is probably one of the best judges in the game, so I'm delighted.”

She added, “He didn't sell for 5,000gns at the December Sale at Tattersalls and my good friend Padraic Gahan brought me down to see him. The owner didn't want to bring him home so we were able to get him bought for 2,000gns.

“There was nothing wrong with him but I suppose people were a bit cold on the sire at the time because he didn't cover a lot of mares and maybe they were wondering if he'd take off or not.

“I wasn't as worried, though, because I worked for William Haggas and then for Shadwell so I was a fan of Tasleet. Then, when Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}) came along and won the Coventry, that was probably the best day of my life.”

Jerry Horan, one of the main men behind the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-up Sale-topper Brasil Power (Fr) (Dark Angel) in 2021, came to Joy's rescue back in January when her car broke down.

After taking a half-share in the colt when Joy needed him most, it was Horan who should have been thanking his good friend on Tuesday.

Joy said, “Jerry came in on the horse when my car broke down as I needed the money. We've been friends for a long time so it's great that it worked out. I have since bought a new car recently so the horse has paid for that.”

 

Condon Keeps It In The Family

Ken Condon made the Classic breakthrough when delivering Romanised (Ire), a son of Holy Roman Emperor (Ire), at fever pitch in the 2018 Irish 2000 Guineas and the Curragh-based trainer added a powerful colt (lot 91) by that sire to his string for €80,000.

Like Romanised, who now stands Haras de Bouquetot, lot 91 will carry the colours of Robert Ng after being snapped up from Lodge Park Stud.

The trainer said, “He is a very nice colt, from a good farm, he has a lot of size and quality about him and is an easy mover. He has been bought for Robert Ng, and he does come from the further family of Romanised so that was a big help, but he is a lovely individual in his own right.”

Condon added, “He handled himself well through all the proceedings. We will get him home and our own people will break him in and he will come into the main yard in January.”

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The Major Talking Points From The Premier Yearling Sale At Doncaster

The first major yearling sale of the autumn in Britain or Ireland, the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale provided entertainment from the beginning to the end, but most importantly, boasted impressive figures. Brian Sheerin was in attendance and discusses the major talking points from the sale.

Figures on the up

The team at Goffs UK could hardly have wished for a better start to the Premier Yearling Sale. The day one figures were off the charts. Of the 218 lots offered on Tuesday, 199 were sold, representing a clearance rate of 91%. 

The aggregate was up 28% to £8,954,500, the average rose 15% to £44,997 and the median climbed 27% to £38,000.

There were noticeably less people around the sales complex at Doncaster on day two. While the figures failed to match what took place on Tuesday, there were some impressive numbers recorded on Wednesday, with an 87% clearance rate on a day where the aggregate climbed 11% to £7,003,000. 

The average on Wednesday went up 0.5% while the median fell by 4% to £32,000. That came despite the fact that there was some late drama in the ring with three of the last seven lots making six figures. 

All told, the sale went well. Of the 406 yearlings catalogued, 363 were sold, translating to a clearance rate of 89%. The aggregate was up 20% to £15,987,500 while the average was up 8% and the median rose by 9%.

Big Results From Small Numbers For Fitzgerald

Alice Fitzgerald knows what she is doing. It was at the Premier Yearling Sale in 2021 when Fitzgerald sold her homebred Basil Martini (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}} out of 10,000gns purchase Under Offer (Bated Breath (GB) to MV Magnier for £160,000.

Fast forward 12 months and Fitzgerald, who never brings more than one or two to the sales, bagged another big pay-day by selling her Kodiac (GB) colt out of Night Queen (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}) to Manor House Farm for £160,000. 

What's even more impressive about Fitzgerald? This isn't even her day job. 

John and Jess Dance Stock Up

Given John and Jess Dance bought six-time Group 1 winner Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) at this sale in 2016, it's only natural that the owners would have an affinity towards Doncaster, which was evident in the results. 

Under Manor House Stables, they signed for nine different yearlings at a total of £837,000, which was only bettered by the £1,162,000 that Peter and Ross Doyle spent across the two days on a whopping 17 different horses. 

However, of the top 10 spenders at the Premier Yearling Sale, nobody boasted a better average than John and Jess Dance. 

The couple spent an average of £93,000 on their nine lots, illustrating that they are seeking quality over quantity more so than ever before. 

High Praise From Doyle

Ross Doyle is renowned for being one of the best judges in the game. Along with his father Peter, he has sourced Mehmas, Barney Roy, Limato, Japan, Fairyland, Magna Grecia, Olympic Glory and much more. 

Therefore, when he praised Goffs for attracting the best bunch of yearlings that he has seen for some time, it reflected well on the quality of the sale.

Doyle signed for two of the top lots in the sale, a colt by New Bay (GB) [211] for £200,000 on day one, and a lovely Dark Angel (Ire) colt [251] the following day for the same figure. 

Grangemore signed for the Dark Angel colt at last year's Tattersalls December Foal Sales for 40,000gns and the sale to the Doyles, who didn't reveal where the horse would be trained, secured a tidy pinhooking profit. The New Bay colt will be trained by Richard Hannon. 

Two Top-Notch Pinhooks

There were a number of good pinhooks over the course of the sale but two stood out. The first was that of lot 21, a gorgeous Ten Sovereigns (Ire) filly that Jamie Railton bought for €26,000 off Ballybin Stud at the November Foal Sales at Goffs last year before selling to Richard Hughes for a cool £110,000 on Tuesday.

The second was an even greater piece of inspiration as Violet Hesketh and Mimi Wadham, who run WH Bloodstock, and transformed lot 171 from a €38,000 purchase back in February to a £120,000 yearling just six months later. 

A colt by Kuroshio (Aus), lot 171 was tipped to do well after a number of shrewd judges got him vetted and, in the end, he was knocked down to Mark McStay and it's understood the colt will be sent to Fozzy Stack to be trained. 

Kuroshio Holding His Own

Kuroshio has been around the world and back but this year represented the classy Australian's first crop of runners since he took up residency at Starfield Stud in 2020. After a slow start to the season, Dontspoilasale (Ire) has come along and won for the stallion in Ireland, and looks potentially progressive, while Jessica Harrington's Panic Alarm (Ire) should be winning races for the stallion when he gets softer ground conditions. 

All told, anyone who has backed Kuroshio will be a lot happier now than ever before as last week's figures were respectable. Away from the headline-maker, lot 171, the Baroda Stud-drafted filly [lot 258] also secured a solid sale for the stallion, and changed hands to join John and Jess Dance for £48,000. All four yearlings by the stallion were sold. 

Force Behind Highclere Stallion

Some will argue that Land Force (Ire) is riding the crest of a No Nay Never wave, and that may have been an entirely plausible summation of the situation had his yearlings not been so impressive in the flesh. 

Top judges Clive Cox-who went to £85,000 to secure lot 71-and Oliver St Lawrence bought progeny by the stallion. Some of the best in the breeze-up business, Katie Walsh, Longways Stables and Con Marnane, also rowed in behind Land Force this week. 

Jake Warren even tipped the Highclere-based stallion for first-season sire honours and, while there is a lot of water to pass under that particular bridge, the early signs are promising for anyone with a Land Force in their stable. 

Of the 17 offered this week, 14 were sold at an aggregate of £510,000, which averaged out at £36,429.

Noteworthy Buyers

A number of top agents, trainers and breeze-up buyers relayed how footfall had increased at the sale and, as a result, it was going to be even harder to smoke out a bargain. 

Well, buyers also had to contend with major competition from afar as Wesley Ward also got in on the action, signing for lot 200, a Lynn Lodge-consigned £82,000 daughter of US Navy Flag. 

Ward is clearly a fan of the stallion and why wouldn't he be? The Patrick Grogan-bred Love Reigns (Ire), whose only defeat in three starts for the American-based trainer, came when she finished fourth in the G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot. Time will tell if Ward has bagged himself another Royal Ascot filly. 

It should be said that, for all that Eddie O'Leary has a host of international clients, he still made time for his neighbour at Goffs. At one point in the afternoon on Wednesday, Nick Nugent on the rostrum announced, 'from one corner of Mullingar to the other,' when Roger O'Callaghan of Tall-Ho purchased a Mehmas colt [lot 349] for £45,000 off his fellow Westmeath native. 

O'Leary's Lynn Lodge Stud ended proceedings with 11 yearlings sold for £677,000 at an average of £61,545, making the operation the fifth most successful across the two days. 

Tally-Ho Dominate

It was an excellent sale for Tally-Ho. Not only was the stud responsible for the top lot, the Blandford Bloodstock-bought Night Of Thunder (Ire) filly [lot 278] out of five-time winner and listed-placed Thiswaycadeaux (Thewayyouare), but they also ended proceedings as the leading consignors with 24 yearlings making £1,544,000 in total.

That was needed, according to Roger O'Callaghan, who revealed that there were 60 more yearlings standing in the field at home in Westmeath, with 40 needing to be broken in and prepared for the breeze-ups.

Away from the excellent results posted by their own stock, Tally-Ho will have been delighted by how all the progeny of their resident stallions were received with yearlings by Kodiac, Cotai Glory, Kessaar, Galileo Gold, Mehmas and young sire Inns Of Court doing well. 

Night Of Thunder Stars

But the star of the show, without question, was Darley's Night Of Thunder. Along with Tally-Ho's sales-topping filly, the Mountarmstrong Stud-drafted Night Of Thunder [170] colt out of Pious Alexander, which ended day one on top at £230,000, ensured it was a memorable sale for the sire.

Mark McStay landed the day one leader, after which, the leading agent labelled Night Of Thunder, the sire of last week's spellbinding G1 Nunthorpe S. winner Highfield Princess (Fr), as a solid source of top-class talent. 

Classy Siblings On Show

Some pedigrees leapt off the page. The Galileo Gold half-brother [280] to Nunthorpe runner-up The Platinum Queen (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) made £170,000 to join Richard Spencer, the Ulysses (Ire)  half-brother [213] to Coventry S. winner Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}) was knocked down to Dance Thoroughbreds for £150,000 and Whitsbury Manor's Havana Grey (GB) half-sister to Sandy Lane S. scorer El Caballo (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) was all the rage at £230,000 with Jack Warren of Highclere doing the buying. 

Havana Grey Shines

Of the 22 horses offered by Havana Grey, all bar one were sold for a total of £1,089,000, averaging at £51,857. Whitsbury's Ed Harper revealed that his performance is exceeding the wildest dreams but, with nine individual black-type horses in his first crop, perhaps buyers were cottoning on to the fact that they have been witnessing something special.

Soldier's Answers The Call

This game is all about looking towards the future and the early signs are that Joe Foley has another real one at Ballyhane Stud in Soldier's Call (GB). 

The man knows how to launch a stallion and must have taken great credit about how Soldier's Call cleared £563,000 from 13 yearlings sold at an average of £43,308. 

What's more, Foley was prepared to put his money where his mouth is, and bought the top lot [212] by the sire for £105,000 off Tinnakill House Stud for Steve Parkin. 

The post The Major Talking Points From The Premier Yearling Sale At Doncaster appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Lightning Strikes Twice For Night Of Thunder At Doncaster

With another 60 yearlings standing out in the field at home in Westmeath, it was important for the team at Tally-Ho to begin the domestic sales season with a bang, and that's exactly what they did in sending out the top lot at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale–the Blandford Bloodstock-bought lot 278, a filly by Night Of Thunder (Ire). 

Mark McStay went to £230,000 to secure a colt by the stallion [170] on Tuesday but it was Tally-Ho's first foal out of the five-time winner and listed-placed Thiswaycadeaux (Ire) (Theywayyouare) that topped proceedings. 

Finishing the sale as the leading consignors, the Mullingar-based stud played a significant role in the excellent figures posted over the two days at Doncaster. 

Of the 406 horses offered at the sale, 363 were sold, representing a clearance rate of 89%. The aggregate was up by a whopping 20% to £15,987,500 while the average was up 8% at £44,043 and the median rose 9% to £35,000.

 

Goffs UK Managing Director Tim Kent said, “The last few days have been absolutely outstanding and, on behalf of the team, we must thank everyone that has made this sale such an incredible success. We were confident we had a good catalogue coming into this week but you can only hope that others agree and whilst one noted industry professional said that we 'were not missing anyone', another noted that there were 'better horses here this year'. 

“These comments are great to hear in the build up to any sale, but the level of the market can only really be measured in the sales ring and those comments certainly came to fruition with an outstanding trade from start to finish and a wonderful atmosphere throughout the sales complex. “This helped to deliver 23 horses that sold for a six-figure sum whilst seven made £200,000 or more. This was matched by an impressive 89% clearance rate and a top price of £240,000.”

He added, “Our focus for this sale was quality, precocity and athleticism and the feedback from buyers is that we achieved exactly that. We had a complex full of the traditional 'Donny rockets' which is very much true to the mantra on which this sale was founded and has thrived. To our vendors, we want to extend a huge thanks for their support. They got the brief, delivered the goods and we are delighted to have been able to produce a strong sale which has generated some sizable gains in the key figures.

“To our buyers, it was a huge turnout from everyone involved, it made for a brilliant atmosphere. We have had countless positive comments on the quality of the catalogue and the type of horse here, and that the sale is back where it belongs, praise that means a lot to the Goffs team. We extend our sincere thanks and we look forward to seeing our athletes tearing up the tracks as 2-year-olds next year.”

Tally-Ho Steal The Show

The top lot was bought by Blandford Bloodstock on behalf of Jurgen Sartori and that sale ensured Tally-Ho finished up as the leading consignor. 

Sartori is perhaps best known for owning horses in Germany, including Penja (Fr) (Camelot {GB}), who he bought out of Jean-Claude Rouget's yard at the Arqana Arc Sale last October for €1.2 million.

Roger O'Callaghan is not in the business of counting chickens but he knows what a good horse looks like and, perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the stud's performance over the two days was the fact that a wide range of their own stallions produced the goods. 

Notably, the newest of them all, Inns Of Court (Ire), whose yearlings were purchased by a host of top breeze-up consignors-Star Bloodstock, Longways Stables and Kilminfoyle House Stud–with the most expensive of them all going to Robson Aguiar. 

“A lot of the breeze-up people have bought yearlings by him, and rightly so. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come,” O'Callaghan said.

Aguiar went to £125,000 to secure lot 77 by Inns Of Court on behalf of Amo Racing on day one. However, O'Callaghan predicted the best was yet to come for the stallion. 

“He's not the only nice horse by him. The lads who look after him in the yard every day bought one, Gary Halpin and Sean Davis bought another off our farrier Matty Smith, so hopefully they get rewarded.”

Halpin and Davis are not exactly new faces on the breeze-up circuit, given the jockeys have ridden breezers at the sales for many of the top consignors in recent years, but the pair are hoping to grow their own operation this year. 

After selling a Galileo Gold (GB) filly last season, Halpin and Davis now plan on putting together a string of breezers to go with the Inns Of Court colt [127] bought from Baroda Stud for £55,000.

Halpin explained, “We underbid a few and the Inns Of Court was the only one we got in the end. He's a nice colt with a good page so he should get into any of those classy sales next year. Myself and Sean have been riding breezers for a few years now and we sold a Galileo Gold filly last year for a few quid. Hopefully we can grow the operation.”

Of the 17 yearlings offered by Inns Of Court, all of them found new homes for a total spend of £623,000. That averages out at a respectable £36,647 per yearling sold.

It was not just the first-season sire Inns Of Court who punched in respectable results for Tally-Ho. Their resident stallions Kessaar (Ire), Cotai Glory (GB), Kodiac (GB) and Galileo Gold (GB) did well in the ring, launching what O'Callaghan revealed would be a busy couple of months. 

“Kessaar is going well because he's short on numbers, they want a bit further than most people expected, but yea, he's holding his own. They're taking a bit of time but sure that's nearly a good thing. They're more valuable if they go further unless they're very good.”

He added, “The sale has been very good. I can't imagine anyone will be complaining. Everything we brought, we sold-but that's nearly always the case. But hey, we've about 60 yearlings out in the field at home. We've 40 to breeze and then there's about 15 more for the next yearling sales.”

Tally-Ho sold 24 horses at Doncaster over the two days. They cleared £1,544,000 and averaged £64,333. 

Only Baroda Stud, who sold 14 yearlings at the sale, came close to those figures with David Cox's operation netting £793,000 at an average of £56,643, highlighted by the New Bay (GB) colt [lot 211] that was knocked down to Peter and Ross Doyle for £200,000 on day one. 

Havana Grey Lights Up Sale

The sun hasn't stopped shining down on Whitsbury Manor Stud ever since the progeny of their first-season sire sensation Havana Grey (GB) hit the track this season. 

The knock-on effect of the brilliant season that the young stallion is enjoying with his first runners was felt in the sales ring, not more so than when the stud sold lot 234, a Havana Grey filly to Jake Warren for £230,000. 

A daughter of the Showcasing (GB) mare Showstoppa (GB), who has already produced four winners, including Group 2 Sandy Lane S. Winner El Caballo (GB), is set to join Clive Cox.

 

However, Whitsbury's Ed Harper revealed that, away from lot 234, he derived a huge sense of satisfaction at seeing all of the yearlings by the stallion netting respectable sales for their owners and breeders. 

That included lot 295, a Havana Grey colt who is also heading to Cox, after selling from Jenny Norris for £85,000.

Harper said, “The satisfaction we have experienced extends beyond the headline filly. We have got a huge amount of pleasure out of seeing loyal breeders who have supported our stallions down through the years doing well out of Havana Grey. 

“For example, Jenny Norris has been a big supporter of ours, and she got £85,000 today for lot 295, a lovely colt by Havana Grey. Jenny is based just down the road from us so that was fantastic to see. When our stallions are doing well, our breeders are, too.”

He added, “Havana Grey got off to an excellent start at stud but, if we are being honest, we didn't expect the good results to be so consistent. It's been every week with him. Be it winning stakes races or big sales races, it's been great. He has had nine individual black-type horses which really is exceptional. That compares well with not only the first-season sires but some of the best stallions around.”

When Nick Bradley opened the bidding at £100,000 for lot 234, the secret was out that something special was walking around the ring, and Harper says any sadness in parting with the filly dissipated in seeing her join one of the best trainers in the country. 

He said, “It was very tempting to keep her but we try and offer as much of our good stock as is possible in order to give everyone a chance. 

“Any slight sadness experienced in letting her go is heavily mitigated in seeing her join Clive Cox. He's an excellent trainer and has done very well with the family before so we're really excited to see how she gets on with him. I'm sure she will do very well.”

He added, “The dam has a Sergei Prokofiev (Can) filly foal at foot. It's a bit of a cliché to say that the foal is very nice but she is so nice that we decided to send the mare back to Sergei Prokofiev.”

Of the 22 horses offered by Havana Grey, all bar one were sold for a total of £1,089,000, averaging at £51,857.

Hughes Sticks His Neck Out 

One of the most fascinating subplots that developed over the two days was Richard Hughes strengthening his string with the addition of a broad selection of yearlings. 

From a £200,000 Frankel (GB) colt consigned by Highclere Stud [lot 269] to a more affordable filly like the one by Kodiac that he picked up from Tally-Ho [lot 216], Hughes landed something for every type of an owner at Doncaster. 

 

The trainer bought 11 yearlings for a total of £744,000, which averaged out at £62,000, all without the help of an agent. 

Hughes said, “I find that myself and Fanny [Hannon, sister in law] are buying the right type of horses that suits me. It's working really well.”

Hughes is operating at a 25% strike-rate with his 2-year-old this term but the former top-class jockey admitted that it took time to get a feel for training juveniles at his Lambourn base.

He explained, “When I was working in Richard Hannon's, they had their own gallops, then you go to a totally different training centre and it takes a bit of time to get used to it. I have a great team at home but I do think myself and Fanny are scouring these sales and buying the ones that we really like.”

Hughes added, “In other years, I'd come here and underbid a few of the ones I really liked and then go and buy something else. This time I have been putting my neck on the line a bit more and buying the ones that I love. When you are buying on spec and bringing the ones home you like, you will sell them a lot easier, because you believe in them. But if you buy a horse because you couldn't buy the one you really wanted, it's very hard to have the heart to go and sell that to a client, you know?”

Nobody bought more horses on spec than his old boss Richard Hannon Senior did when he was in his pomp. The yearlings would all have been sold by Christmas and the Hannons would have an army of 2-year-olds to go to war with every spring. Hughes is not exactly adopting the same modus operandi but he is definitely being braver with his approach. 

“Most of the sales that I go to, I buy a lot of horses on spec. I bought 10 horses here two years ago and got them all sold by Christmas. We bought a horse here last year for £125,000 on spec. I got him sold in November. They are sleepless nights, I can guarantee you that. “Owner-breeders aren't sending me 10 or 12 horses every season. Other people have that luxury. Now, maybe I will some day, but I don't at the moment. Every horse I have in my yard, I have to go and get them myself and, if I didn't, I'd have nothing to train.”

By that token, Hughes is different to most trainers. He doesn't employ an agent and is therefore willing to die on his own sword. 

He said, “They [agents] are there when the horses are winning but it's a lonely old place when they are no good. Normally, when I bring them home, it's me who has to sell them to these owners anyway. We've done really well in the past couple of years with the horses I've bought myself so we're sticking to that. 

“I was up here on Sunday and Monday, which isn't great because you miss out on being in the yard, but it's all about building towards the future and my owners understand that.”

Hughes added, “I bring the yearlings home and we have an owners' day in November. We have a bit of a party and people get together and come in on horses together. A lot of my owners know each other so it's a good way of doing things.”

The priciest yearling Hughes picked up was lot 269, a Frankel colt for £200,000, that was consigned by Highclere Stud. He also picked up some well-bred fillies, including the highly-sought after Ten Sovereigns [lot 21] filly consigned by Jamie Railton on day one. 

He said, “I thought that she [21] was a very good buy for her ovaries alone. Like, her pedigree was super. She was a gorgeous filly. The Cotai Glory [lot 253 for £40,000] was a gorgeous horse. He'll be more of a 3-year-old. I think I have someone for him. Jaber Abdullah came in for some of the very well-bred fillies. Two of the fillies are out of a Shamardal mare so, if they win a race, they can go breeding.”

 

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